LA VERNE >> Investigators continued trying to make sense Saturday of the fatal stabbing and beating of an elderly couple in their home near here.
No suspect was in custody in connection with the deaths of Armie “Troy” Isom, 89, and his wife, Shirley Isom, 74, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said. The Isoms were both found mortally wounded shortly after 1 p.m. Friday near the entrance of their home in the 300 block of Roughrider Road in an unincorporated area.
Sheriff’s officials identified the man as Armie Isom. Neighbors, who said the couple had lived in their home about two decades, knew the husband as Troy.
Paramedics pronounced Shirley Isom dead at the scene. Her husband was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he ultimately succumbed to his wounds.
Detectives and crime scene investigators returned to the scene Saturday to continue collecting and cataloguing evidence.
No suspect had been identified, and the motive in the double-killing remained unknown.
“This is a mystery. This is going to take a lot of detective work,” said Lt. Dave Coleman of the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.
Shirley Isom appeared to have suffered both stab wounds and blunt force injuries, the lieutenant said.
Troy Isom had been beaten, but it remained unclear whether he had also been stabbed, Coleman said.
The knife used in the stabbing had not been recovered, he said. Coleman declined to discuss what sort of blunt object was involved in the attack.
Detectives ruled out the possibility of a murder-suicide. Coleman said both the man and woman were homicide victims.
And Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. David Smith said a “security hold” placed on the case by sheriff’s investigators prevented his agency from discussing it.
Coleman said detectives were yet to discover any valuables missing from the home.
It was unclear how the killer got into the home, he said. “There’s no obvious point of entry.”
The couple are survived by five children, Coleman said.
A woman who answered the phone at the home of the one of the victim’s daughters said the family was also awaiting further information about what happened to the Isoms as they deal with their sudden and tragic loss.
“There’s no words,” the woman said. She did not wish to comment further.
Deputies who first responded to the crime scene scoured the area for a suspicious man with a backpack that several witnesses said they saw at or near the Isoms’ property just before the attack was discovered.
Neighbors described the man as between 25 and 30 years old, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a backpack.
Coleman said the description did not match anyone who was supposed to be on the property Friday and detectives are seeking him for an interview.
“We’re trying to identify all of the workers who should have been there,” Coleman said.
But the lieutenant did not label the person seen by neighbors as a suspect in the killing, though he said the man’s potential involvement had not been ruled out.
Investigators planned to return to the crime scene Sunday to finish their search of the property, Coleman said. Detectives planned to use search dogs and searchers mounted on horseback to ensure a thorough examination of the massive, brush-laden property on a private road at the end of Roughrider Road.
Once work is completed with the plentiful physical evidence at the scene — which included a ”tremendous amount of blood,” Coleman said the investigation will shift to a broader focus as detectives look over the couple’s business dealings and personal lives for possible clues.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

LA VERNE >> A woman and her husband died following an attack inside their home Friday afternoon, authorities said.
The attack occurred in the 300 block of Roughrider Road in an unincorporated county area near La Verne.
Neighbor Don Mineer identified the couple as Shirley and Troy Isom.
The woman, 74, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, according to Lt. Dave Coleman of the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau. Her husband, 89, was found wounded and later succumbed to his injuries.
Though neighbors knew the man as Troy, sheriff’s officials identified hime as Arnie Isom.
Early reports indicated the couple had been stabbed but Coleman declined to discuss the injuries, which were also described by officials as “blunt force trauma.”
A “grounds keeper” called the sheriff’s San Dimas Sheriff’s station after finding the married couple unresponsive inside the home, Coleman said.
Firefighters responded to a rescue call at 1:16 p.m. involving two critically injured patients, according to county fire Capt. Keith Mora.
“We are very early in the investigation,” said Coleman. “It’s an expansive scene.”
The couple were found near the entryway of the home, Coleman said.
Jose Tamayo, a gardener who was working nearby, reported seeing a man exit the property minutes before the incident was discovered.
Tamayo said the man was wearing a green jacket with a hood, a baseball cap and jeans. He said the man picked up a backpack from nearby bushes, put it on and walked away.
Mineer said he saw a similar man walking down the road as he was driving home.
“He wasn’t hurrying, but he wasn’t wasting a lot of time,” Mineer said. “Now that I think about it, he looked like he was trying to be inconspicuous.”
Lorrie Guzzy, who lives on a nearby street, said she saw a man walking up Live Oak Canyon Road toward Roughrider Road between noon and 12:30 p.m. and thought he was suspicious.
“He didn’t look like a hiker,” Guzzy said. “He looked homeless.”
She said another neighbor also saw the man.
“It just didn’t look right. I wish both of us had called (police),” Guzzy said.
The Isoms lived at the home on a private road at the end of Roughrider Road, Mineer said.
“He’s a good guy and a good friend,” Mineer said, adding that Troy was a contractor.
He thinks the couple lived there for about 20 years.
“(Troy) told my wife he had a shotgun loaded by the door. I think I’ll load mine too,” Mineer said.
Deputies initially responding to the incident sought a man seen leaving the area between age 25 and 30, and between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 11 inches tall. He reportedly wore an orange or blue hooded sweatshirt and carried a green or red backpack. Several people matching the description were detained and questioned in the area, but none were linked to the crime.
But homicide investigators would not confirm the description and did not label the suspicious man reported by neighbors as a suspect int he killing.

PHOTO by Jeo Jarzomb